We arrived home this morning after a whirlwind 3 days of driving. We live in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and purchased a 22' Cruiser we saw in Savannah, Georgia (700 miles). We had committed to buying and sent a deposit but needed to schedule a time to drive down, take it out on the water, and then drive it back.
After seriously considering renting or borrowing a truck, we decided to hasten the replacement of our 2013 Accord Coupe (manual, 6 speed, V6) a car with a 2020 Chevy Silverado with a Duramax 3.0L diesel.
So this would be our first long trip with the truck, our first time towing with this truck, and our first C-Dory (and first boat longer than our 18' canoe).
The trip down was uneventful but long. The truck averaged 30 MPG driving a steady 70 MPH (plus, in some stretches). It was quiet, comfortable, efficient, and spacious. I soon became very pleased with our new purchase. Janet and I took shifts and she really liked driving it. The ride and handling of today's trucks is amazing (our last truck was a 2005 F150).
We arrived in Savanna Friday afternoon and Lorin let us know he'd be available after 4 if we wanted to do the familiarization and sale sooner (we had planned on Saturday).
We agreed, met him at the storage yard where we first saw it, then followed him over to the local river where there was a boat ramp more suitable for bass boats and kayaks. No matter -- in minutes the boat was in the water.
I was surprised at how big the boat looked when following behind the trailer. What had we done?
We climbed aboard, started it up, and while Lorin parked the trailer I maneuvered it to the dock. The 4 stroke Yamaha started immediately, was quiet, and the throttles were responsive and fine (I was used to our 14' open runabout Starcraft with a 2 stroke 35 HP Johnson). Lorin climbed aboard and we launched out into the river. With three of us aboard it still felt spacious. With the cabin door closed it felt like we were insulated from the wind and engine noise -- a truly a remarkable sensation!
We walked through and tested all the different systems, from engine to generator to windlass to grill. Everything was new or nearly new and worked as expected. I tested out the engine and control responsiveness. The Garmin indicated 29 MPH and it was not yet at full throttle! We were on plane in very little time and the transition was uneventful.
The sunset was looming so we headed back to the ramp. We pulled it from the water, towed it out, hooked it up to our truck, exchanged the paperwork, and headed down the road to our hotel. The next morning after working through a few trailer peculiarities we were on the road northbound on I-95.
The Silverado diesel averaged 15 MPG for most of the trip (a steady 70 MPH with some stretches at 65 and others up to 73 MPH), with a high of 17.5 MPG on the last stretch near home (where speed limits were 45-55 MPH).
We learned two lessons -- choose fueling stops wisely (one had enormous bollards that constricted turning and made leaving the pumps an exercise in micro-adjustments) and Hotels according to parking lots (the last in Woodbridge, VA had a tiny back deck with no room for looping around -- so a lot of maneuvering to be able to back up and pull out).
The truck never felt labored or underpowered. It was weird seeing the giant mass looming behind us, and not much fun being passed by rogue tractor trailers doing 90, or slowing suddenly for the clueless people merging onto a busy highway at 50 MPH with no thought of actually integrating into the existing traffic flow, but 700 miles later I feel like I know the truck and the trailer.
Like any boat and trailer there are things I plan to upgrade or replace, but who doesn't? We are truly looking forward to getting this boat out on the water (current plans are to make Aberdeen Proving Ground marina the "home port"). We are also thankful for a helpful, straightforward seller who clearly put tie and money into this boat. Finally, I'm thankful for C-Brats for having a C-Dorys for Sale forum!
After seriously considering renting or borrowing a truck, we decided to hasten the replacement of our 2013 Accord Coupe (manual, 6 speed, V6) a car with a 2020 Chevy Silverado with a Duramax 3.0L diesel.
So this would be our first long trip with the truck, our first time towing with this truck, and our first C-Dory (and first boat longer than our 18' canoe).
The trip down was uneventful but long. The truck averaged 30 MPG driving a steady 70 MPH (plus, in some stretches). It was quiet, comfortable, efficient, and spacious. I soon became very pleased with our new purchase. Janet and I took shifts and she really liked driving it. The ride and handling of today's trucks is amazing (our last truck was a 2005 F150).
We arrived in Savanna Friday afternoon and Lorin let us know he'd be available after 4 if we wanted to do the familiarization and sale sooner (we had planned on Saturday).
We agreed, met him at the storage yard where we first saw it, then followed him over to the local river where there was a boat ramp more suitable for bass boats and kayaks. No matter -- in minutes the boat was in the water.
I was surprised at how big the boat looked when following behind the trailer. What had we done?
We climbed aboard, started it up, and while Lorin parked the trailer I maneuvered it to the dock. The 4 stroke Yamaha started immediately, was quiet, and the throttles were responsive and fine (I was used to our 14' open runabout Starcraft with a 2 stroke 35 HP Johnson). Lorin climbed aboard and we launched out into the river. With three of us aboard it still felt spacious. With the cabin door closed it felt like we were insulated from the wind and engine noise -- a truly a remarkable sensation!
We walked through and tested all the different systems, from engine to generator to windlass to grill. Everything was new or nearly new and worked as expected. I tested out the engine and control responsiveness. The Garmin indicated 29 MPH and it was not yet at full throttle! We were on plane in very little time and the transition was uneventful.
The sunset was looming so we headed back to the ramp. We pulled it from the water, towed it out, hooked it up to our truck, exchanged the paperwork, and headed down the road to our hotel. The next morning after working through a few trailer peculiarities we were on the road northbound on I-95.
The Silverado diesel averaged 15 MPG for most of the trip (a steady 70 MPH with some stretches at 65 and others up to 73 MPH), with a high of 17.5 MPG on the last stretch near home (where speed limits were 45-55 MPH).
We learned two lessons -- choose fueling stops wisely (one had enormous bollards that constricted turning and made leaving the pumps an exercise in micro-adjustments) and Hotels according to parking lots (the last in Woodbridge, VA had a tiny back deck with no room for looping around -- so a lot of maneuvering to be able to back up and pull out).
The truck never felt labored or underpowered. It was weird seeing the giant mass looming behind us, and not much fun being passed by rogue tractor trailers doing 90, or slowing suddenly for the clueless people merging onto a busy highway at 50 MPH with no thought of actually integrating into the existing traffic flow, but 700 miles later I feel like I know the truck and the trailer.
Like any boat and trailer there are things I plan to upgrade or replace, but who doesn't? We are truly looking forward to getting this boat out on the water (current plans are to make Aberdeen Proving Ground marina the "home port"). We are also thankful for a helpful, straightforward seller who clearly put tie and money into this boat. Finally, I'm thankful for C-Brats for having a C-Dorys for Sale forum!
